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At 11:26 AM -0500 3/21/98, Fmplautus wrote: >Then there is the question of sequencing and fading loops. The Echoplex >has a >"feedback" dial, which would be more accurately titled "ripple" because it >spreads and dissipates your loops like a pebble tossed in a pond. The >Jamman >also has this available but with fewer rippling possibilities (16 via midi >pedal as opposed to 99 with the dial on the front panel of the echoplex). > How It's actually 256 levels of feedback available from the front panel feedback knob on the Echoplex, or 128 if you use a midi continuous controller. And to sort of answer Matthew's question, feedback is from the old universe of delay effects. The feedback setting causes the delayed sound to be reduced in volume by a certain amount each time it repeats. In that sense it is generally used to set how long the delay would last. That concept was applied to looping in some devices. When dealing with longer loops this becomes a very powerful technique for making your loop evolve into something new over time. (which Michael was very happily discovering in his nice, actually on-topic post...:-) When you've built up a loop, it will have certain elements that dominate and give it a particular character. You turn the feedback down a bit, and those things slowly begin getting quieter. Then you begin adding new elements to the loop, which will be relatively louder since they have not had any feedback applied. With each repetition you add a little bit more to realign the loop in a new direction. Those new elements will then begin dominating the loop, and the character will steadily change. When it has changed to something you like, you set the feedback up to maximum so the level does not reduce with each repeat anymore. It gives a nice evolving effect to the loop, and is a very powerful and expressive tool. By actively controlling the feedback, you can control how quickly this evolution occurs. Interestingly, this sort of effect is not readily available in the typical sampler, and it would be a bitch to manage in a sequencer. Consequently, I almost never hear people who primarily rely on sequencers and samplers using this evolutionary approach to loops. They tend to have more abrupt changes with their loops, where something immediately disappears and is replaced by something else. DJ's and remix artists seem to get it, I imagine because they are so used to managing everything with mixer faders. In that case though, it's mostly crossfading. The new loop is gradually mixed in, but from the start the whole thing is there. You rarely have moments in between where you don't notice that it is actually two loops playing at once. With the feedback/evolving approach, you can create the new loop in little bits at a time, so it is not clear what it will eventually be until it gets there. And all along the way, each "evolution" of the loop will likely be an interesting thing itself. It can be very different from crossfading, and very expresssive and creative, which is why people get into it so much! kim ______________________________________________________________________ Kim Flint | Looper's Delight kflint@annihilist.com | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html http://www.annihilist.com/ | Loopers-Delight-request@annihilist.com